Vortex type turbine pump



Aug. 30, 1966 D. N. TOMA VORTEX TYPE TURBINE PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1965 INVENTOR. DAN\EL N. TOMA I By W m5 AT TORMEY Aug. 30, 1966 D. N. TOMA 3,269,316

VORTEX TYPE TURBINE PUMP Filed Jan. 14, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 59 54- 51 485 is FIGA 35,? E a l )K\ culation.

fluid provided to the other.

the outer wall thereof.

United States Patent 3,269,316 VORTEX TYPE TURBINE PUMP Daniel N. Toma, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 425,415

3 Claims. (Cl. 1032) This invention relates to fluid pumps, and more particularly to turbine type fluid pumps including a vortex chamber which enables a single pump to pump fluid from a single source to one destination at a first pressure and to another destination at a second pressure.

In my copending application Serial No. 381,147, filed July 8, 1964, and assigned to General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention, I disclosed a new and improved turbine type pump which enabled a single pump to transfer fluid having entrained therein foreign matter of a solid nature from a single source to either of two destinations. That pump is a substantial improvement over previously known pumps by providing a pump structrure such that a single pump can be used in applications such as automatic clothes washing machines to provide both recirculation and drain. Pumps built in accordance with my copending application deliver fluid to the two destinations at the same pressure. Since automatic clothes washing machines must be designed to operate successfully in a basement installation, in which the drain head may be quite large, fluid diverter turbine pumps as disclosed in my copending application, when used in washing machines, must be designed to pump fluid both to drain and for recirculation at the pressure required for satisfactory drain operation. Such a pressure is greater than the optimum desired for recirculation because high pressure in the recirculation stream could cause excessive sudsing in the washing machine. Therefore it is advantageous to have different pressures for drain and recir- There also are a number of other applications for a turbine pump which can transfer fluid from a single source to either two destinations with a pressure differential between the fluid provided to one destination and the It is an object of this invention to provide a single unit turbine type pump which is effective to transfer fluid from a single source to a first destination at one pressure and to a second destination at another pressure.

It is a further object of this invention, therefore, to provide such a pump which is effective to transfer from a single source selectively to either of two destinations a stream of fluid having entrained therein foreign matter of a solid nature.

In my invention, in accordance with one embodiment thereof, I provide a fluid pump of the turbine type including a pump housing forming a pump chamber having an impeller mounted therein for selective rotation in opposite directions. I provide first and second spaced outlet conduits for selectively transferring fluid from the pump chamber dependent upon the direction of rotation of the impeller. I cause the peripheral wall of the pump chamber and the outer wall of the first outlet conduit to form a continuous surface so that fluid flowing out of the pump chamber through the first outlet conduit will flow along I further provide a vortex chamber communicating with the lower wall of the second outlet conduit and an inlet conduit communicating with the inner wall of the first outlet conduit and with the vortex chamber so that rotation of the impeller draws fluid from the inlet conduit into the pump chamber through one of the outlet conduits and discharges it through the other of the outlet conduits.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference 3,2 ,3 H Patented August 36), 1 966 may be had to the following description in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a washing machine incorporating one embodiment of my invention, the view being partly broken away and partly in section for purposes of illustration;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the pump included in FIGURE 1, the view being partly broken away for purposes of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken along line 44 of FIG- URE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a view taken along line 55 of FIG- URE 3.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is shown an agitator type clothes washing machine 10 having a conventional basket 11 provided over its side and bottom walls With perforations 12. The basket is disposed within an outer imperforate receptacle or tub 13, the tub 13 being rigidly mounted within an appearance cabinet 14 which includes a cover 15. When cover 15 is lifted, it provides access through an opening 16 to basket 11. At the center of basket 11 there is positioned a vertical axis agitator 17 which includes a center post 18 and a plurality of curved water circulating vanes 19 joined at their lower ends by an outwardly flared skirt 20. Both the basket 11 and agitator 17 are rotatably mounted. The basket is mounted on a flange 21 of a rotatable hub 22 and the agitator 17 is mounted on a shaft (not shown) which extends upwardly through hub 22 and center post 18 and is secured to the agitator in order to drive it. Basket 11 and agitator 17 are driven by a reversible motor 23 through a drive including a clutch 24 which allows the motor to start without load and then accept the load as it comes up to speed. A suitable belt 25 transmits power to a transmission assembly 26 through a pulley 27 so that, depending upon the direction of motor rotation, the transmission is driven in opposite directions.

The transmission 26 supports and drives both the agitator drive shaft and the basket mounting hub. When the motor 23 is rotated in one direction, the transmission causes the agitator to oscillate in a substantially horizontal plane within basket 11. Conversely, when motor 23 is driven in the opposite direction, the transmission rotates basket 11 and agitator 17 together at high speed for centrifugal extraction.

Hot and cold water are provided in the basket 11 and tub 13 by a valve 28 which is connected to hot and cold water sources (not shown) through conduits 29 and 30, respectively. The valve 28 has solenoids 31 and 32 so that energization of solenoid 31 permits passage of hot water to the valve, and energization of solenoid 32 permits passage of cold water to the valve, and energization of both solenoids permits mixing of hot and cold water in the valve and passage of warm water therefrom through an outlet structure 33 which directs the water into basket 11 and tub 13.

During a typical cycle of operation of machine 10, water is introduced into tub 13 and basket 11, then agitator 17 is oscillated back and forth on its axis, that is, in a horizontal plane within the basket. This causes washing of clothes within the basket by effecting relative motion of the clothes in the liquid, as well as suitable flexing of the fabrics of the clothes. Then, after a predetermined period of this washing action, basket 11 is rotated at high speed to extract centrifugally the washing liquid from the clothes and discharge it to drain. Following this extraction operation, clean water is introduce-d into the basket for rinisin g the clothes and the agitator is again oscillated. Finally, the basket is once more rotated to extract the rinse water.

During the washing and rinsing portions of the cycle of operation it is desirable that the liquid within the basket and tub be recirculated through a filter 34 to remove lint and particles of dirt Which the liquid has picked up from the clothing. In order to recircu-late the liquid during washing and rinsing portions of the cycle of operation and to discharge the liquid at the conclusion of these portions a pump generally indicated by the numeral 35 is provided. The pump is connected by an inlet conduit 36 to an opening 37 provided in the lowermost part of tub 13 and includes a pair of outlet conduits 38 and 39. The pump is connected to the clutch 24 by a flexible coupling 40.

Thus, when the motor rotates in a first direction to cause agitation of the clothes, the pump functions to draw liquid in through opening 37 and inlet conduit 36 and discharge it through outlet conduit 38 which is adapted to be connected to a recirculation conduit 41 and nozzle 42 so that the liquid is returned to the tub 13 and basket 11 through filter 34. Conversely, when the motor rotates in the opposite direction to rotate the basket 11 and the agitator 17 at high speed, the pump functions to draw liquid in through the inlet conduit 36 and discharge it through conduit 39 which is adapted to be connected to a drain (not shown) to dispose of the liquid.

Thus, the pump 35 must be capable of selectively transfering liquid from a unitary source to either of two destinations; The washing and rinsing liquid in automatic washing machines often has entrained in it solid objects such as lint, string, hairpins, small rocks, etc., which have been removed from the clothes by the washing action. The pump must ttunction despite such objects being drawn into it. In addition, since automatic washing machines must be built to function successfully in basement installations often requiring high drain pressures, and, since high pressure in the recirculated liquid stream can cause excessive sudsing in the washing machine, it is highly advantageous that the pump direct the liquid to drain at a higher pressure than it recirculates liquid. My new and improved pump will function to selectively transfer fluid from a unitary source to either of two destinations despite the presence of solid foreign matter and will direct the fluid to one of these destinations at a higher pressure than it directs the fluid to the other destination.

Referring now to FIGURES 2-5, the pump includes a housing 43 defining an annular pump chamber 44 formed by a cylindrical outer or peripheral wall 45, a bottom wall 46 and a top wall 47. Housing 43 also forms outlet conduits 38 and 39 which communicate with annular pump chamber 44. The outlet conduits 38 and 39 include outer walls 48 and 49, inner walls 50 and 51, bottom walls 52 and 53, and top walls 54 and 55, respectively. Preferably, the walls of the outlet conduits are substantially flat so that, within the housing 43, the outlet conduits 38 and 39 are generally rectangular in cross-section. The outer walls 48 and 49 join peripheral wall 45 to form a continuous smooth surface so that the Coanda effect causes fluid flowing outwardly through conduits 38 and 39 to flow along outer walls 48 and 49 respectively.

The outer ends of conduits 38 and 39 are formed with cylindrical IPOI'tlOIlS 56 and 57 respectively for ease of attachment to cooperating members such as recirculation conduit 41 and a suitable drain conduit.

An inlet chamber 58 is formed between the outlet conduits and includes an inlet opening 59 defined by an upstanding wall 60 which is formed in the housing 43. The wall 60 is attached to the inlet conduit 36 so as to connect the inlet chamber 58 to a source of fluid such as tub 13 of the washing machine illustrated in FIGURE 1. The inner wall 50 of outlet conduit 38 is discontinuous to form an opening 61 which connects the inlet chamber 58 to outlet conduit 38. The lower wall of inlet chamber 58 defines an opening 62 which connects the inlet chamber to a vortex chamber 63 formed below the inlet chamber by a cup-like member 64 having an annular side wall 65 and a flat lower wall 66. The inner wall 51 of outlet conduit 39 is solid so that there is no direct communication between inlet chamber 58 and outlet conduit 39. However, the bottom wall 53 of outlet conduit 39 is formed with an opening 67 which is in communication with vortex chamber 63 adjacent a portion of the annular side wall 65. Thus, a source of fluid such as tub 13 is in communication with the pump chamber 44 through both of the outlet conduits 38 and 39. One path of communication extends from tub 13 through inlet conduit 36, inlet opening 59, inlet chamber 58, opening 61, and outlet conduit 38 to the pump chamber. The other path of communication extends from the tub 13 through inlet conduit 36, inlet opening 59, inlet chamber 58, opening 62, vortex chamber 63, opening 67 and outlet conduit 39 to pump chamber 44.

A shaft 68 extends through housing 43 into the center of pump chamber 44 and is sealed with respect to the lower Wall 46 by a gasket 69. A turbine type impeller 70 is mounted on shaft 68 and includes a plurality of blade members 71a and 71b. The outer periphery of impeller 70 is spaced a substantial distance from cylindrical wall 45 as indicated at 72. Thus, as fluid is pumped through pump chamber 44, sufficient clearance is available between the impeller and the Wall of the pump chamber to allow foreign matter of a solid nature to pass through the pump. Although the impeller 70 passes close to the wall portion 73 of the housing between inner walls 50 and 51, no liquid is pumped in this area and a close tolerance creates no problem. Shaft 68 is connected to a suitable source of power for reversible rotation, such as flexible coupling 40, c'lutch 24 and motor 23 of the washing machine shown in FIGURE 1.

When shaft 68 rotates impeller 70 in the clockwise direction (as seen in FIGURE 2) liquid received in inlet chamber 58 is drawn into pump chamber 44 through the vortex chamber 63, opening 67 and outlet conduit 39 and is discharged through outlet conduit 38. Conversely, when shaft 68 rotates impeller 7 0 in the counterclockwise direction (as seen in FIGURE 2) fluid is drawn into pump chamber 44 through opening 61 and outlet conduit 38 and is discharged through conduit '39. Since the .walls 45 and 48 form a smooth, continuous surface, the Coanda effect will cause the fluid flowing out through outlet conduit 38 to flow along wall 48. The flow of fluid out through conduit 38 may entrain a small amount of fluid from inlet chamber 58 through opening 61. This will cause a slight reduction in the outlet pressure obtainable through conduit 38; however, since conduit 38 is used for the low pressure discharge this slight reduction in pressure is not detrimental to the pump operation. Additionally, it will be noted that conduit 38 is of a smaller size adjacent cylindrical portion 56 than it is adjacent pump housing 44 because of an offset in the inner wall 50 on opposite sides of the opening 61. This is provided because a relatively low flow rate is desired for recirculation in the washing machine as shown in FIG- URE 1. This offset in wall 50 is not required for satisfactory operation on my improved pump and, in fact, the size of outlet conduit 38 may be uniform for its entire length.

When the impeller is rotating in the counterclockwise direction (as shown in FIGURE 2) to cause fluid to be pumped out through outlet conduit 39, the flow of fluid through conduit 39 causes an initial part of the fluid to enter vortex chamber 63 through opening 67. Since opening 67 is adjacent annular side wall 65 and the flow of fluid through outlet conduit 39 is essentially tangential to wall 65 at opening 67, the entry of fluid into vortex chamber 63 will cause the fluid in chamber 63 to execute a vortex flow, i.e., the fluid will flow in a circular path around the inside of chamber 63. This effectively closes off opening 67 during fluid flow outwardly through outlet conduit 39. Because opening 67 is effectively closed, there is no pressure drop within outlet conduit 39 similar to that in conduit 38 caused by opening 61, and a higher fluid outlet pressure is obtained through outlet conduit 39 than is obtained through conduit 38.

Thus, depending upon the direction of rotation of impeller 70' the pump 35 functions to transfer fluid from a single source selectively to either one of two destinations while providing a higher outlet pressure through one outiet conduit than through the other. Additionally the pump is effective regardless of foreign matter of a solid nature which is entrained within the fluid.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire the invention to be -limited to the particular construction disclosed, and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fluid pump of the turbine type including:

(a) a pump housing forming a pump chamber,

('b) an impeller mounted in said chamber for selective rotation in opposite directions,

(c) first and second outlet conduits for selectively transferring fluid from said pump chamber dependent upon the direction of rotation of said impeller, each of said outlet conduits having an inner and a lower wall,

(d) a vortex chamber communicating with the lower wall of said second outlet conduit,

(e) an inlet chamber communicating with the inner wall of said first outlet conduit and with said vortex chamber whereby rotation of said impeller draws fluid from said inlet chamber into said pump chamber through one of said outlet conduits and discharges it through the other of said outlet conduits.

2. A fluid pump of the turbine type including:

(a) a pump housing forming a pump chamber having an outer peripheral wall,

(b) an impeller mounted in said chamber for selective rotation in opposite directions,

(c) first and second spaced outlet conduits for selectively transferring fluid from said pump chamber dependent upon the direction of rotation of said impeller, each of said outlet conduits having an inner and a lower wall,

(d) an inlet chamber formed between said outlet conduits and communicating with the inner wall of said first outlet conduit, the top of said inlet chamber defining an opening for connection to a source of fluid,

(e) and a vortex chamber formed below and in communication with said inlet chamber, said vortex chamber also being in communication with the lower wall of said second outlet conduit,-

5 (f) whereby fluid flowing 'from the source of fluid is received in said inlet chamber and rotation of said impeller in one direction draws the fluid into said pump chamber through said first outlet conduit and discharges it through said second outlet conduit while rotation of said impeller in the other direction draws the fluid into said pump chamber through said vortex chamber and said second outlet conduit and discharges it through said first outlet conduit.

3. A fluid pump of the turbine type including:

(a) a pump housing forming a pump chamber having an outer peripheral wall,

(b) an impeller mounted in said chamber for selective rotation in opposite directions,

(0) first and second spaced outlet conduits for selectively transferring fluid from said pump chamber dependent upon the direction of rotation of said impeller, each of said outlet conduits having an inner and a lower wall,

(d) an inlet chamber formed between said outlet conduits and communicating with the inner wall of said first outlet conduit, the top of said inlet chamber defining an opening for connection to a source of fluid,

(e) a vortex chamber formed below and in communication with said inlet chamber, said vortex chamber including an annular side wall,

(f) the lower wall of said second outlet conduit including an opening communicating with said vortex chamber adjacent said annular side wall,

(g) whereby rotation of said impeller draws fluid into said pump chamber through one of said outlet conduits and discharges it through the other of said outlet conduits, the flow of fluid outwardly through said second outlet conduit causing a vortex flow of fluid in said vortex chamber to effectively close said opening in said lower wall of said second outlet conduit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/11960 Sholtes et all. 103---2 6/ 1962 Cushing l0 3--3 

1. A FLUID PUMP OF THE TURBINE TYPE INCLUDING: (A) A PUMP HOUSING FORMING A PUMP CHAMBER, (B) AN IMPELLER MOUNTED IN SAID CHAMBER FOR SELECTIVE ROTATION IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, (C) FIRST AND SECOND OUTLET CONDUITS FOR SELECTIVELY TRANSFERRING FLUID FROM SAID PUMP CHAMBER DEPENDENT UPON THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID IMPELLER, EACH OF SAID OUTLET CONDUITS HAVING AN INNER AND A LOWER WALL, (D) A VORTEX CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE LOWER WALL OF SAID SECOND OUTLET CONDUIT, (E) AN INLET CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE INNER WALL OF SAID FIRST OUTLET CONDUIT AND WITH SAID VORTEX CHAMBER WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID IMPELLER DRAWS FLUID FROM SAID INLET CHAMBER INTO SAID PUMP CHAMBER THROUGH ONE OF SAID OUTLET CONDUITS AND DISCHARGES IT THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID OUTLET CONDUITS. 